MATAPOPORE CULTURAL DESIGN STRATEGY WHITI-REIA / THE CATHEDRAL SQUARE Page 1 of 25 Disclaimer and Limitations This cultural design strategy has been written for Matapopore Charitable Trust by a number of project consultants. This strategy documents a framework for embedding and celebrating Ngāi Tūāhuriri / Ngāi Tahu values, narratives and aspirations within Whiti-reia / the Cathedral Square, Christchurch, New Zealand. It is a starting point for more conversations with the design team in regards to how these outcomes can be recognised and meaningfully embedded across the development. This report is also for the internal use only and is subject to copyright with permission of the Matapopore Charitable Trust required for any re-use of its content ©. Page 2 of 25 “Ko ngā uri, he hau katoa, ko ngā karakia, ngā tapu. The descendants were all the winds, the incantations and the tapu.” - Tribal priest Natanariha Waruwarutu describing his atua (ancestors). Page 3 of 25 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 NGĀI TAHU Ngāi Tahu is the largest iwi (tribe) in the South Island whose territory extends from Te Pari-nui-o-Whiti (White Bluffs, Marlborough) on the East Coast, south to Rakiura/Stewart Island and back up the West Coast to Kahurangi Point. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu is the mandated iwi authority established by Ngāi Tahu whānui under Section 6 of the Te Rūnanga o Ngai Tahu Act 1996 to protect the beneficial interests of all members of Ngāi Tahu, including the beneficial interests of the Papatipu Rūnanga of those members. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu is governed by elected representatives from each of the 18 Papatipu Rūnanga and has an administrative office as well as a number of commercial companies. 1.2 NGĀI TŪĀHURIRI / MANA WHENUA Ngāi Tūāhuriri is one of the primary hapū of Ngāi Tahu whose tribal boundaries (takiwā) centre on Tuahiwi. Tūāhuriri is our ancestor, from whom we all descend and we take our identity from him. The following is a traditional Ngāi Tūāhuriri pepehā, or tribal statement of identity: “Ko Maungatere te maunga, Our mountain, Maungatere (Mount Grey) stands above us; Ko Waimakariri, ko Rakahuri ngā awa, Our rivers – the Waimakariri and Rakahuri (the Ashley) – flow below; Ko Tūāhuriri te tangata. Tūāhuriri is our ancestor.” Tuahiwi is the home of Ngāi Tūāhuriri and has played a vital role in Ngāi Tahu history. The takiwā of Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga centers on Tuahiwi and extends from the Hurunui River to the Hakatere/Ashburton River and inland to the Main Divide. Kaiapoi Pā was established by the first Ngāi Tahu ancestors when they settled Te Waipounamu/the South Island. It became the major capital trading centre and from which further penetration of the South Island occurred making the area a genealogical centre for all Ngāi Tahu whānui. Kaiapoi Pā was established by Turākautahi who was the second son of Tūāhuriri hence “Ngāi Tūāhuriri” being the name of the hapū in this area. Page 4 of 25 1.3 THE ROLE OF MATAPOPORE - EMBEDDING STORIES, VALUES AND ASPIRATIONS Matapopore Charitable Trust is the organisation that has been established by Ngāi Tūāhuriri to work with Ōtākaro Ltd, Regenerate Christchurch and Christchurch City Council (CCC) to provide cultural advice on Ngāi Tūāhuriri/Ngāi Tahu values, narratives and aspirations, and to weave these into the fabric of the anchor projects and other projects associated with the recovery of greater Christchurch. Matapopore provides cultural advice by forming project teams that combine professional expertise with traditional knowledge in the areas of ecology, architecture, landscape architecture, fine arts, whakapapa, natural and cultural heritage, mahinga kai, tikanga and Te Reo Māori. The principal Ngāi Tūāhuriri vision for the Christchurch anchor projects is: “Kia atawhai ki te iwi – Be kind to your people.” This founding kaupapa, recounted by Pita Te Hori – the first Ūpoko Rūnanga of Ngāi Tūāhuriri in 1861 – reiterates the foundations laid by Tūāhuriri, the ancestor after which the hapū of Ngāi Tūāhuriri takes its name. Ngāi Tūāhuriri today believes the anchor projects must demonstrate care for the citizens of the city and encourage warmth and a sense of welcome. To guide and inform the design of anchor projects, Ngāi Tūāhuriri/Ngāi Tahu historical narratives have been written by Dr. Te Maire Tau with support by others. The narratives provide project teams with our histories and values associated with areas of Ōtautahi/Christchurch. Matapopore Urban Design Guidelines have been developed to steer the design process and to form a bridge between the historical narratives and design outcomes. The purpose of the Matapopore Urban Design Guidelines is to support the narratives by developing a greater depth of understanding of Ngāi Tūāhuriri/Ngāi Tahu values, traditions and concepts, why these are important and how they might be expressed and embedded within a contemporary urban environment. Bringing visual indicators of Ngāi Tūāhuriri/Ngāi Tahu identity and stories to life will help to ensure our new city is easily recognisable on a world stage. Page 5 of 25 For Ngāi Tūāhuriri, this means ensuring design embraces the following kaupapa consistent with Ngāi Tūāhuriri/Ngāi Tahu historical narratives and the Matapopore Urban Design Guidelines. • WHAKAPAPA: Identity and connection to place. • MANAAKITANGA: The extension of charity, hospitality and respect to others. • MAHINGA KAI: The knowledge and values associated with customary food gathering places and practices. • MANA MOTUHAKE: Being able to act with independence and autonomy - being ourselves in our places. • TURE WAIRUA: Being able to exercise spirituality and faith. Page 6 of 25 2.0 CULTURAL CONTEXT 2.1 NGĀI TŪĀHURIRI & THE CITY OF CHRISTCHURCH The area now known as Christchurch is of special cultural and historical significance to Ngāi Tahu. Prior to European settlement, Ngāi Tahu - and Ngāti Mamoe and Waitaha before them - maintained numerous permanent and temporary kāinga and pā (sites of settlement) within the greater Christchurch area. From these settlements, Ngāi Tahu gathered and utilised natural resources from the network of springs, waterways, wetlands, grasslands and lowland podocarp forests that thrived along the Ōpāwaho (Heathcote), Ōtākaro (Avon), Pūharakekenui (Styx), Whakahume (Cam River at Tuahiwi) and Ruataniwha (Cam River at Kaiapoi) rivers and around Te Ihutai (Avon/Heathcote Estuary), Te Oranga (Horseshoe Lake) and Te Riu o Te Aika Kawa (Brookland’s Lagoon).1 It is not surprising that the areas which hold such significance to Ngāi Tūāhuriri/Ngāi Tahu are in many instances the areas that have been most affected by the 2011 earthquakes. Due to their low-lying, watery nature, these areas were rich in mahinga kai. Urbanisation has since modified the landscape beyond recognition, and gone with it is the bounty of natural resources and practices. The residential red zone of Christchurch City lies barren and empty due to past mistakes and this design process provides a significant opportunity to reinforce and re-establish Ngāi Tahu historic and contemporary connections with the river, its land and its taonga (treasures). 2.2 A NETWORK OF PĀ, KĀINGA, NOHOANGA (SETTLEMENTS) AND TRAILS Te Waipounamu is a landscape of extremes; from snow-covered, rugged mountain ranges, to sandy, sheltered bays, snow-fed braided rivers to low-lying swampland, each landscape contains specific ecological conditions which culminated in a landscape rich in natural resources. For Ngāi Tahu, it was this bounty that they travelled here for and came to rely upon for survival. A highly mobile way of life existed which revolved around using an inter-generational knowledge. They moved around nearly the whole of Te Waipounamu, hunting and gathering the diverse resources the landscape provided; from north to south, east to west, developing a complex infrastructure of travel routes throughout the motu (nation) and detailed cognitive maps.2 1 TRONT (2011) He Huanui Ara Ake mō Waitaha –a pathway to recovery for Canterbury: Ngāi Tahu’s preliminary tribal positions and priorities for the draft CERA Recovery Strategy for Greater Christchurch, 22 July 2011. 2 Tikao, D., The Public Realm Historical Narrative. Page 7 of 25 The Ōtākaro/Avon River formed part of this network of trails which connected the various settlements within the wider Christchurch area and further afield. The Ōtākaro provided access to a trail along the eastern coastline and the coastal resources of Te Ihutai, and west to an inland trail which went through the area of Papanui and Pūtaringamotu (Riccarton Bush) where they became exposed to the diversity of forest resources3. Both the eastern and western trails headed north to Kaiapoi Pā and the Waimakariri River, which provided the route through to the Ōtira–Waimakariri (Arthur’s Pass) trail to access pounamu on Te Tai Poutini/the West Coast. These trails not only provided access between settlements and resources, but independently they needed to provide the necessary resources to survive the journey. Resources such as food, materials for shelter, materials to catch and harvest food, water, medicine, and materials to build temporary rafts and replenish clothing and footwear on longer journeys as well as embodying the stories of their tīpuna (ancestors) was required from these trails. Within the city of Christchurch itself were a number of permanent and seasonal settlements from which the surrounding wetlands, rivers, hills, forests, estuaries and coastlines were accessed for their natural resources. The entire landscape was imbued with numerous names and narratives that mapped this terrain and facilitated its harvest. Traditional settlements along the Ōtākaro/Avon and Ōpāwaho/Heathcote Rivers included: • Pūtaringamotu (Riccarton Bush) • Waipapa (Little Hagley Park) • Puari (Market Place / Victoria Square) • Tautahi (The Bricks, CBD) • Waikākāriki (Horseshoe Lake) • Ōruapaeroa (near Travis Wetland) • Te Kai a Te Karoro (South Brighton Spit) 3 Christchurch City Council, Christchurch before 1850 – Inner-city and coastal heritage trails (brochure). Refer to the map in the brochure entitled ‘Trails and place names in Ngāi Tahu times’.